Lessons While Traveling

On a recent trip to West Virginia, Larry and I traveled for some miles on Interstate 77. It was a mostly sunny afternoon, and traffic was moderately heavy. Somewhere between Beckley and Princeton, we saw three deer grazing near the highway. I pointed them out to Larry and remarked that they were “unfazed by the traffic.”

Larry nodded. “Until they try to cross the road,” he added.

This remark got me thinking about how vulnerable these beautiful and delicate creatures are. Deer can jump remarkably high. I have seen one leap from a standing position directly over a five-foot fence. But they are no match for roaring eighteen wheelers—or even a speeding Kia.

Just a couple miles down the road, we spotted five more deer beside the interstate and then another group a little later. The lesson was not lost on me: animals can become so accustomed to danger that they calmly munch their lunch within feet of death-dealing instruments.

It is the same with people. We get so used to hearing blasphemy and lies that we don’t even react. The sinfulness and deceit of the world is so pervasive that we fail to step back from the danger. Movies, music, even the comments of friends are full of potentially crushing ideas and philosophies.

I don’t mean to suggest that we live “like deer in the headlights”; God is in control, and we can rest in that comfort. I do mean to suggest that we should “walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise”. Satan is like “a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour” He would love to destroy you and me—to render us ineffective and unfit for God’s work.

Daily we carry out the business of our lives in close proximity to real danger. It can be so easy to keep our heads down and not even think about the fact that we are drifting closer and closer to the fatal path. Instead, we must arm ourselves with the shield of faith and fill our minds with truth so we can be wise to recognize danger and strong enough to step back—even leap over a fence—remaining whole and ready for God’s service. 

   

--Sherry Poff